Houndstooth Happiness

Houndstooth Happiness Quilt

I LOVE this quilt pattern!  

I like the challenge of being able to look at a quilt and being able to re-create the pattern.  

This one however, I did not.  

I got the concept of how it was pieced, but was unsure of sizing.  This pattern is created by Vanessa C. over at V and Co.   Seriously AWESOME quilt!  I have seen it done in so many different colors! 

I found this fabric (when I was NOT looking for fabric for me  - I was at the store helping my mom pick out fabric) and HAD TO HAVE IT!  I LOVE polka dots - they end up being gender neutral in my opinion between the color/pattern.

I always struggle with what to do on the back of quilts.  I almost always make quilts over 42", so I have to figure out how to piece the back in a way that does not look like I just added a swatch of fabric to the side.  This one turned out even better than I imagined thanks to the print.  The frames on the back are pieced with some leftover fabric from the front around small rectangles of the background fabric.  Because the print is so busy, you don't see the piecing between the frames or from the frames to the swatch on either side.  I actually think this adds just enough interest to the back.

I was unsure of quilting on this pattern.  I thought about doing it on my regular machine outlining the houndstooth shape to accentuate it, but decided it was just a little too big for easily rotating the fabric.

So, I took it to my lady.  She lives a bit from me, but it is SO worth it!  In fact this last time I mailed her 4 quilts to quilt and she had them sent back to be completed within about 5 days!  I like that she can do an allover pattern to add a bit of interest.

I am just loving this quilt!  I smile every time I see it.  I actually got the fabric and pattern with the idea of a baby shower gift, but I decided to make it bigger than I normally would for a baby quilt.  Also, I just think it turned out so sophisticated that I don't think it would need to be relegated to baby.  I think this would work for an anytime quilt (including just a throw for a living room!)

GOOD NEWS!  

This quilt is for sale in my Etsy shop.  You can access it by going to the SHOP page here on my blog, or going to MillieSews on easy

RO-GB sign-ups and 'Final'ly Friday Linky

'Final'ly Friday Linky at the bottom - don't forget to post about your recent fabulousness!

RO-GB double charm (brick) swap:

So....I am organizing a double-charm(5"x10"), (3) yard, split-complimentary color swap - using red-orange, green, and blue color pallet.  Each participant will purchase (1) yard each of (3) fabrics [(1) red-orange, (1) green, and (1) blue].

<center><a href="http://www.sewsanejane.blogspot.com/p/swaps.html"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF0Wde7ehgqNH4nPU71n-GHoTo51jghAsGUCXy5V6AcFBb15uDahpvChTD5AYkFCl23Ni3iYRGhscKdvKniohl3VqeFd_s8Cdi0mJdupqopeRpUph6GlRRZj5nkAwjA_FyuOEySWb1NXxw/s1600/rogb+double+charm.jpg.png" /></a></center>

I posted all the gritty details in my last post HERE.  Please refer to that post if this is the first you are hearing about the swap.  For those that know and agree to the details, here is a bit more an the colors I have chosen.  Again, I want to be sure to give credit to Jenni of In Color Order. She has been an amazing resource of color knowledge and expertise!!  She wrote a blog series on "The Art of Choosing [Colors]."  I have learned a lot about color reading her blog - including about split-complimentary colors.  I love several of the color combos, but am leaning towards the red-orange, green, blue color combo.  Below is the color wheel that Jenni made to depit this combo of colors:

Thank you to Jenni of www.incolororder.blogspot.com

for creating the fabulous color wheel for our viewing pleasure

We still have about 10 spots available.  If you have any questions feel free to leave a comment or e-mail me. To sign up, Please complete the sign-up form HERE. 

Okay, Color talk.  In my details of the swap, I wrote that "the fabric can have flecks of other colors, but should still 'read' the specific color."  This is somewhat hard to explain without pictures.  What I mean essentially is that I should be able to glance at a fabric and say, "that's a X color fabric."  For instance, if I am looking for green fabrics, I want to find something that is primarily green.  If it has too many or too predominate other colors in it, I don't focus on the green.

I went to Hawthorne Threads (a great online fabric site where you can search for fabrics by a color grid.) and pulled a few fabrics for an example.  You can click on each fabric for information about print and to go to the Hawthorne site for purchasing.  While these are a wide variety of greens - they all read green.

     

 While these have green in them, the other colors/patterns seem to pull the eye away from the green.  Thus, while all great fabrics, I would not recommend them when searching for a fabric that "reads" green.

Reminder: Join the Fabric Swap Finder Flickr Group to hear about upcoming swaps, give input into the next swaps, post about and solicit members for your next swap, etc.

Fabric withdrawal - sort of

So I have been in a fabric withdrawal for months now (more on this in my next post). Suffice it to say that my hubby and I don't always agree on how much fabric should be at our house at any one time.

I decided that rather than going to buy loads of fabric for a new quilt, I would participate in a fabric swap (charms to be exact) and feel like I was getting lots of fabric for only 1 actual purchase on my part. So I searched around blog-land a bit and kept finding myself a week, or day, or even an hour too late! (2) things came out of this debacle:



1) I decided to host my own swap. Now I was a swap host newbie - but I did some research (great post by ELQ about hosting) and have participated in my fair share. I designed a straight forward - rainbow swap (each of 28 participants are assigned a color - I assigned one of the following to each member: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, white/cream, grey/black, brown. If you do the math you will see that left me with 1 participant - I gave her swappers choice - any fabric she wanted!) Participants were to purchase (2) one yard cuts from their assigned color. We are getting some great fabrics! I ended up with red (although red is a fav color 'o mine, it was purely random - promise!). I told participants that hues in the range of the color family assigned were just fine. I chose a red with pink flowers and a deep red hatch fabric.



2) Sign-ups were a bit slow for about the first 4 days of the Charm-tastic Color Swap - then we filled up quick (only did a 28 participant swap). It was slow at first (I think) because you mostly have to just search out blog-land to find swaps. I thought - there must be an easier way to find a swap than having to go directly to 500 blogs before I find one. Then a Charm-tastic swap participant posted the swap in the comment section of her flickr groups and before you know it we have a full swap.

Light bulb moment.....



I want a place I can go to on flickr that shows all the swaps available but again, without having to check 500 flickr groups. THE FABRIC SWAP FINDER it is! So I created a group. Feel free to join even if you are not thinking about participation right this moment. It is intended to be a place to post about swaps you are hosting or find out about - AND a place to peruse so entice you to participate in a swap. We are getting more members each day - if you get a healthy following finding swaps and filling swaps will be a breeze (and maybe I can stop missing out on all these fabulous swaps!) **feel free to grab the button too - on the right column here - to add you your blog or posts.

Well the swap finder is working great - at least for me - I already found another swap to participate in. It is a 3-yard Ispy, polka dot, and stripe swap (1 yard of each) that I just couldn't resist. Don't tell my hubby that this means I had to buy 5 yards (just over) of fabric for the swaps - I always sell swaps to him as a great way to get lots of cool fabric without me having to buy much at all! Here were my fabric choices for that swap:



This was obviously my polka-dot print. Sweetwater for Moda - part of their Reunion collection (I LOVE Sweetwater fabrics!! I think I have loved every line they have produced so far!!)



This is my novelty print - Put a lid on in green by Michael Miller. The picture doesn't do it justice - it is a CUTE fabric!!!!



My stripes - Moda - Modern Workshop line (pattern: 11171; color: 21)

I wanted a set of three the coordinated, but didn't necessarily match (Not sure that was required or even suggested of the swap, but it seemed like a good idea at the time.) Thanks to some help and suggestions from my fav LQS lady, I purchased these 3.

Sign up for the swap finder if you think you may be interested in participating or hosting a swap at some point in your potential future!!


Are you still waiting for my fun news? Coming soon!!!! (I can't believe I have held out this long!)
-Becky
of
Sew Sane Jane
(Posted using BlogPress from my iPad)

Rainbow Charm Swap - Charm-Tastic Color Swap

UPDATE: Swap is Full 


Alternate Swaps that I know about can be found at 









I participated in a fabulous Rainbow Charm Swap about a year ago and LOVED it!  I have been trying to catch ones to sign up for since, but have been too late on every one of them!  I decided to create my own. I hope the rest of the people who missed out on other's swaps will sign up (or even those whom are participating in one of the others are welcome too!).

Sign-ups begin Immediately and will continue until all 27 spots are full (or until 3/25, whichever occurs first - I will fill in colors if needed).  Please complete the open fields below (name, flickr ID, e-mail) to sign up for the swap - (thank you - swap is full) once you choose submit for that section that information will be sent to me but others will not be able to see it.

I have decided to keep it simple for my first swap.  We will do 2 yard rainbow swap - colors assigned to you (this will mean each person will receive (2) charms from each fabric selection).  You will need to be on flickr to participate (so sign-up for an account if you do not have one).  Please only sign up if you are in a smoke-free home as smoke clings to fabric like you would not believe.  US participants only please (remember, trying to keep it simple for this first one).

The Deal:

• Once sign-ups are closed, you will be assigned a color. 
• You will buy (1) yard of fabric of (2) different prints in your color assigned
• fabric should be 100% high quality quilters cotton (from LQS or reputable online quilt fabric store - NO JoAnn or Hobby Lobby fabric allowed - it really isn't as good of quality!)
• Your fabric should "read" the color assigned you, but it can have small flecks of other colors if you choose.  You should steer clear of large print fabrics as once they are cut into 5"x5" charms you loose the print.
• do NOT wash your fabric.  
• You will cut your selected fabric into 5" charms (see this great tutorial by Elizabeth Hartman for making your cuts).  Each yard of fabric should = (56) 5"x5" charms.  Which means that total you will be sending me (112) charms.
• You will put your stacks of fabric into a Ziploc baggie and include the details of you and your fabrics on an index card
• your name, e-mail address, physical address, fabric name and company, ...
• You will send me your fabric, index card, and a self addressed stamped envelope (see below) to me no later than 4/1 if we can pull that off with sign-ups.  
• you can figure that you will be getting about the same weight of material back, so once you know how much it costs to send your fabric to me, you can include the same amount of postage on the self addressed envelope you include 
• OR you can include a self-addressed flat rate priority mail envelope for me to send your charms back to you in
• You will post on our flicker group which prints you have selected to ensure there are no doubles.  When you do, this is where you should also include info about the print for others to see - fabric name, line, company.
• Enjoy your charms once they are sent back to you!

Thank you for your participation!

-SewSaneJane

I won, I won, I won!

So I don't mean to flout it (ok, I do, but not rudely so), but I won an AMAZING!!! Giveaway from JayBird Quilts and Fat Quarter Shop about a month ago.
I was lucky enough to win the BYOG giveaway, which was amazing as it was a $100 build your own giveaway. (seriously, amazing - I never win anything).

Anyway, I went shopping and found that while the Fat Quarter Shop has great deals, I found SO many fantastic things I wanted.

Julie at Jaybird Quilts has made some very fabulous patterns. She had been blogging about them and I knew I was going to have to get one (some) even before I won. I ended up choosing



The Fast Forward pattern - although it was a tough call as they all look tempting!
The pattern utilizes a new ruler, the "Lazy Angle," so I got that too!

And I got some great fabrics...


A fat quarter set - Blue Jay Penny Lane




Some yardage of the Ty Pennington "Impressions" line


Some cute yardage for an upcoming swap.


And a cute pale green/white print and some Kona Charcoal.


HOW EXCITING! Thanks again to Julie of JBQ and Fat Quarter Shop for such Fantastic goodies!


-Sew Sane Jane
(Posted using BlogPress from my iPad)

Fabri-holic!!

I stopped by the cute fabric store near my work to get batting for my sparkling gemstones quilt and got side-tracked!  I think I might have a problem.  instead of buying batting to finish that project, I added 3 new projects to my to-do list.

This shop sells batting in pre-cut sizes and did not have the size I wanted in stock - darn.  Instead of leaving, I started looking around at fabric.  Since I have a few projects (with fabric already) in my to-do pile, I was trying not to buy.  ooops - dind't work out so well. 

I found 3 different fabric that I thought would make cute bibs (apparently that will be my new obsession for a bit). 

 This "A" is for aligator is perhaps my favorite of the three!

 I saw a Very cute pattern when I was reading up on one of my favorite blogs.  So, while I was trying to NOT buy every cute fabric to start a collection of colors for it, when I saw this polka-dot fabric (a Moda fabric from its "Bliss" collection) I could not help myself.  Thought this would be Great for the white borders.

I also got Moda's "Sunkissed" layer cake.  I wanted to make more fabric coasters - I think they will make great little gifts.  Housewarming, host gifts, prizes for bunco, etc.  I also found a great fabric 'dish' that I think I can adjust the measurements on to make it a holder for ~ 4 coasters (a nice little kit to make it a better gift).








Moral of the story - I have even MORE fabric and just added 3 projects to my to do list.  I am guessing that I am not the only one with this problem - any suggestions on what to do about it?

Recent fabric purchases

Moda has done it again - cute, cute, cute fabrics! Both of these fabrics have been out for awhile, but I haven't bought new material for a quilt in a bit (back log and all of the baby quilts that used yardage) - so I just saw these cuties!
Panache charm packs and some yardage. I love the big print! I am going to use it for the back - but bet I end up reversing the quilt sometimes on our spare bed!

Hunky dory jelly roll and some yardage